The George campus, known for its positive response to addressing energy and waste management on site, launched the Green Campus Initiative, of which the Sustainable Campus Project forms part, to compare three houses equipped with solar energy geysers and rainwater harvesting systems to a sample of identical houses utilising conventional systems.

“The Sustainable Campus Project is an exciting, living example of sustainable living that involves monitoring and comparing the daily energy and household water consumption of two groups of students living in houses on campus,” NMMU George campus marketing manager Alet van Tonder said.

The first step was to fit on-campus student homes with relevant green technologies, such as solar panels for heating water and simple mechanisms to ensure the sustainable use of that water. The research data will be used to raise awareness about “sustainable living”. The campus hopes the results of the six-month project will help to develop a practical model which could be applied to other campuses or institutions.

Neil Moll, owner of the company which donated the solar water heating systems, said: “We are … confident the research will prove beyond any shadow of a doubt that, indeed, it is possible to tread much lighter on Mother Earth.”

by Janine Oelofse

The projects have the combined capacity to harvest 36 lakh liters (3.6 million liters) of rainwater annually, benefiting the schools and surrounding communities.

“Rain water harvesting has emerged as a viable option to redirect rainwater into the ground, which otherwise goes waste,” said Dr. Saleem Romani, former chairman of the Central Ground Water Board.  “We need to persuade more people and society at large to take up rain water harvesting projects.”

But the project isn’t a first. Coca-Cola and its bottling partners have installed more than 500 rain water harvesting projects in 22 states in the country, in an effort to contribute to better water management.

In other environmental efforts, Coke and its bottling partners said last month all their new vending machines and coolers are expected to be hydrofluorocarbon-free (HFC) by 2015. The move to HFC-free refrigeration is expected to reduce the equipment’s direct greenhouse gas emissions by 99 percent.

Representatives of the host cities signed the pledge, which states that they will support initiatives which address waste minimisation, emission reduction, energy efficiency and water conservation.

The “greening” initiatives will be implemented in all the 10 host cities’ stadiums, including Soccer City and Coca-Cola Park in and Green Point in Cape Town.

Rejoice Mabudafhasi, deputy minister of environmental affairs, said that it is important to use the 2010 FIFA World Cup platform to encourage people to go greener.

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These initiatives will have a long-term benefit, rather than simply lasting for the duration of the World Cup.

Local government MEC Anton Bredell told journalists in Cape Town on Wednesday that the province has recommended the district be declared a disaster area.

“We are facing a big disaster,” Bredell said. “I think it will be the first full-scale disaster that will hit the Western Cape if circumstances keep on deteriorating as we expect. The prediction is that it will get warmer rather than wetter.

“We as a Cabinet decided to recommend to the National Disaster Management Team that we declare the region a disaster area.  We have to prevent George, Knysna and Mossel Bay from running out of water. We are especially concerned about George.”

The province has received R53m from the government to fight the drought in the region.  “This is so big that we as a provincial government can’t tackle this alone,” Bredell said.  “National government has stepped in and the department of water affairs has stepped in to help. We are very grateful.”

Bredell has written to mayors of the municipalities in the region, requesting them to cut water consumption by 30%.

The partnership involves Cumming-based RainHarvest Systems and the 5 Seasons Restaurant and Brewery, which operates three locations in the Atlanta area.  The rainwater-brewed beer will be used by RainHarvest Systems for its promotions and at public events to increase awareness of rainwater catchment systems, according to an RainHarvest press release.

Meanwhile, the brewery, which makes about eight different premium beers, plans to brew all its future beers with rainwater, and its production will be based solely on rainwater, according to the release.

Randy Kauk, president of RainHarvest Systems, said in the release that the partnership with the brewery “demonstrates the broad array of applications where rainwater can be used instead of chemically treated drinking water; plus, it is a great way to create public awareness of rainwater harvesting.”
The new rainwater beer will be formally introduced September 14 in Decatur, GA, on the first day of the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association’s three-day national conference in Decatur. What the companies call an “advance trial” of the beer will occur at the brewery’s Westside location in Atlanta (1000 Marietta St.) earlier that day.

You Use Less Water When Taking a Shower Than a Bath.

This is sometimes a myth, but it is true. Depending on your shower head and whether it has a flow restrictor or how long you shower of course.

If your home was built before 1992, chances are your showerheads put out about 18.9L of water per minute. Multiply this by the number of minutes you’re in the shower, and the water adds up fast!

An average bath requires 113 – 189 litre of water. The average shower of four minutes with an old shower head uses 75 litre of water. With a low-flow shower head, only 37 litre of water is used.

To test the amount of water used in a shower vs. a bath is to put the plug in the bath next time you take a shower (but not a stand-alone shower as you might spill over the lower shower wall).

After you’ve showered, see how much the tub filled up.

If there is less water than you would usually have in a bath, then you will be saving money the next time you take a shower instead of a bath!

The Rhapsody Grand Opus Rain Runner system is designed to harvest rainwater from a roof, the difference is our system then routes this water back into the main water supply where it can be used in the home for laundry, baths, showers and toilets. We always leave a designated municipal supply for drinking etc…(usually in the kitchen) This ensures that stored rainwater is drawn upon every time a tap in the home is turned on, emptying the tank as it is used up. Therefore when it rains again, the tank is ready to be filled up and the water can then be used. This system really works as you are augmenting your own water supply, reducing dependence on municipal water during the rainy season.

If everybody did this, a lot of pressure would be taken off severely strained estuaries and river systems during the rainy season allowing them a chance to recuperate.

Harvesting Rainwater along with Water Rhapsody Conservation Systems’ other unique water saving systems such as our greywater re-use systems and Rhapsody Multiflush for toilets can reduce ones water bills by up to 90%

1st in Grey Water and Rainwater Harvesting

Water Rhapsody are the leaders in Grey Water and Rainwater Harvesting systems in South Africa.  With 16 years of experience and over 3000 installations, Water Rhapsody are expanding throughout Southern Africa. The company’s flagship is its grey water (or greywater) recycling system which can save up to 50% of municipal water bills.  We are proud to be launching in Somerset West and are looking forward to building a eco-friendly relationship with each of you!

Please see the animated Product Demonstration for further information

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